fallen love
by sukiangel
Summary: STOP-LOSS She didn't want to believe it. she couldn't lose him too. not even her brother can take her pain away. Brandon tried. but now he has his own problems to deal with. PLEASE R&R!


**Disclaimer: I do not own Stop-loss.**

**Great movie so i thought i'd write on it. Hope ya like please read and review!**

I bit my lower lip and sat down at my computer. I couldn't believe what I was doing. He was a friend of my brothers. A man in his unit. If Steve found out... Well there would be trouble. There were three things Steve protected more than any thing back home in Texas. First was his friends. Not to many of them were still here. If they hadn't joined the army with him and Brandon, then they didn't keep in touch. Second was Mich. His long time girlfriend and soon to be wife. I don't think he could function with out her. And third was his family. Shorty and I were all the family he had left. Dad died when Shorty was a kid. And mom, well who knows where she ran off too. After Steve went to Iraq, mom went to work one day and never returned. So he was very close with me and Shorty.

He already knew I was friends with Rico. We had been friends since high school. And Tommy knew me as well. But the other men in his unit only knew me as Steve's younger sister.

How I met him was an accident. He had been Skypeing with his family when I was trying to contact Steve. Or any of the others I knew. I needed comfort. Just to know they were safe. So being a nice guy he answered me.

"You looking for Steve I'm guessing." He said with a smile. When he saw how upset I looked he sat down to talk instead of running to find my brother. We talked for a little while before Tommy came in to skype with his wife.

"Hey Steffi, what's up?" he asked taking his place.

"Just wanting to know my boys are safe over there." I replied. I couldn't tell Tommy why I had actually contacted them. After my talk with the other soldier, I decided it wasn't a good idea.

"We're all safe and sound." Tommy replied. "Is it ok if I contact my wife now?"

I smirked. "Yeah, I'm sure she's waiting for ya. I covered her shift at work today so she could get home."

Tommy chuckled. "See you soon Steffi."

I disconected from my computer. But here I was a week later and waiting on him to contact me. We had talked almost every day since our first encounter over the computer. I petted my Australian Shepherds head as he placed it on my leg.

"I know, Cowboy. I'm causing problems for myself." I said with a heavy sigh. I jumped when I heard my computer beep at me. I smirked and there he was with a huge smile on his face.

"Did you get the pictures I sent you?" He asked sounding a little nervous. I lifted my phone to the camera so he could see one of the pictures was my back ground. He smirked and held up his camera to show he had my picture saved as well.

I smiled shyly and bit my lower lip. "Will you be coming to Brazos with the rest of them?"

He nodded with a huge smile on his face. "Of course. I wouldn't miss seeing you in person for nothing."

I blushed. "I can't wait."

He looked over his shoulder and sighed. "I have to get going."

I tried not to pout. "All right then. See you soon."

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

I stood next to Mich and bit my lower lip. Today they were returning. My brother and friends were finally coming home. Jeanie nudged me with a slight smirk on her face. She was the only one that knew I had been talking to one of the men and I had grown to like him. But I never told her who it was. As the red convertible got closer to us my eyes quickly scanned the men marching behind. My heart started racing. I was finally going to meet him face to face.

"You may want to pay attention to your brother." Jeanie said nudging me playfully. I smirked at her and yelled out a quick welcome home. Then my eyes quickly scanned the men one more time. I never did see him.

As the Steve and Brandon received their metals and Brandon gave his speech my attention was on the men sitting in the crowd. I still had no clue where he was.

**End Steffi's POV**

"Do you think we should have told her?" Ida said to her husband as she noticed Steffi looking back at the soldiers sitting in the crowd. It was hard to keep things quiet in the small town. But after what had happened to her last month, No one wanted to give her the bad news about her child hood friend. But know that every one was home, she would find out about Rico. And keeping that information from her didn't seem like the best idea.

Shorty looked over at his sister and shook his head. "She'll be devastated."

Steffi sighed heavily and turned her attention back to her brother. She clapped cheered along with every one else and waited with Shorty as the soldiers were reunited with their families. When Steve was able to peel his lips from Mich's he finally turned and gave his sister a hug.

"How you doin Steffi?" He asked concerned. She gave him an odd look.

"Fine. Ain't I supposed to be askin you that question." She asked. He then looked over at Shorty.

"You never told her?" He asked a little ticked.

"No one wanted too." Shorty replied.

"Tell me what?" Steffi demanded. "And stop talkin like I'm not here."

Steve bit his lower lip. "Rico was badly injured. He's in a army hospital in Germany."

Steffi shook her head. And backed away from her brothers. "How dare you keep that from me."

She turned and walked away. She didn't care about seeing him now. Not when she realized the whole town was keeping this from her. Just because they thought she wouldn't be able to handle more bad news.

"Steffi!" Brandon called after her. Steve sighed and put his hand on his best friend's shoulder.

"Let her go man. I had to tell her about Rico." Steve said with a heavy sigh.

"No one told her?" Brandon said in surprise.

"We couldn't." Ida replied sadly. "She was just getitng over the last bad news she received."

"what bad news?" Steve asked confused.

Shorty shook his head. "Looks like we weren't the only ones keeping things to ourselves. Steve, she needs to tell you herself. But don't press the issue."

Later that night Steffi walked into the bar. And sat down next to Shorty. He gave her a small hug knowing it was hard for her to come out that night.

Steve didn't even seem to notice she had arrived. Instead he was talking about how he'd want to be a sniper if he went back.

"I'd go back tomorrow and get that Haji bastard that killed Preacher." Tommy said bitterly. Steffi held her breath. It couldn't be him.

"Preacher was Tommy's best friend over there." Steve explained.

"I fucking loved that guy." Tommy added. Steffi put her hand to her chest and tried not to draw attention to herself. The last thing she needed was a drunkin Steve asking her questions.

"He took a round to the face. It blew his jaw all the way off. Then he took one in the neck." Steve said as if lost in the horrific memory. Steffi stood and walked away. She couldn't hear any more of it. She walked past Mich and Brandon and ignored them when they called after her.

"What happened to her when we left?" Brandon asked concerned. Steffi was like a sister to him. She was only thirteen months younger than Steve and had been close with Steve's friends. Rico was the only friend she had that wasn't also friends with Steve. So when Rico joined the Army as well Brandon and Steve took him under their wing.

Mich sighed heavily. "There's a lot she didn't tell you boys. She figured it would piss Steve off and worry you. But she needs to tell you. I have no place to say what happened."

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

What Mich had told him about Steffi was bugging him the next day. What was she hiding from him and Steve. She never hid anything from him. Brandon knew more about her than he ever wanted to know. Even knew that Rico had taken her virginity when she was sixteen. That was something he never wanted to know about his best friends sister.

When he ran into Mr. McGurby he understood why Mich couldn't say any thing.

"If you see Steffani, will you tell her we miss having her come to sunday dinner." He said before he left the BBQ shop. "Tell her... Tell her that we still consider her a daughter in law, even though... Even though she never had the chance to marry my son."

Brandon could only nod. Mr. McGurby walked away and Brandon had to take a deep breath. Now he knew why no one had told Steffi about Rico. She was still mourning over her lost fiancée. He kicked himself for not talking to her more while he was in Iraq. Maybe then he'd have known. After he ate all the BBQ he could handle he went to find Steffi. He needed to reconnect with her. Make sure she was ok. But when he went to her old house, he was shocked to find out the place had been condemned. It looked like no one had lived there for a year at least. He drove home and found his mom sitting at the kitchen table.

"What happened to the Shriver house?" He asked sitting down across from her. "Went to find Steffi and found a condemned house instead."

His mom sighed heavily. "Steffi and Shorty couldn't keep up the payments. Apparently Georgia hadn't made payments for months before she left. By the time Steffi found out about it, it was too much. She and Shorty have been staying in the back of the garage Shorty bought."

"Damn." Brandon said with a heavy sigh. He wondered if Steve knew yet. "So when did Steffi and Jim McGurdy happen?"

"Not to long before he was shipped off. He bought her a house before he left." Ida said sadly. "But she sold it after he was killed. She couldn't stay there. But from what I've heard she had met some one else not to long after she found out about Jim. She had been walking around like a zombie for a while there. Then all of the sudden she was smiling again."

"Do you know who it was?" Brandon asked. Ida smirked. She always hoped Brandon would take a liking to Steffi. She was a sweet girl and Ida already considered her a daughter.

"Well, depends on what rumor mill you follow." Ida replied. "Some believe it was a boy in the town over. Some say it was a man from one of those online dating sites. But Shorty caught her talking to a soldier on night on the computer. And she had a picture of a soldier on her phone back ground."

Brandon sighed heavily. "Shit, I can't believe Steve was right."

"Right about what?"

"About Steffi talking to one of my men." Brandon replied. "I guess Rico saw her email address come up on the computer one day and when he answered she was very surprised to see him. She had been dressed as if going on a date."

Ida smiled. "She must really like the guy."

Brandon shook his head. "Steve isn't going to like it to well when he finds out."

Ida sighed heavily. "Steffi isn't a little girl any more. She had to grow up pretty fast when you and Steve left."

"I'm goin to go find her. Any chance you know where she is?" Brandon asked.

Ida nodded. "If she's not with Shorty, she's at the ranch."

Brandon nodded and went to find her. He didn't even check Shorty's garage. He went straight to the ranch. He smirked when he saw her little white car sitting by the cabin. He got out of his truck and walked into the cabin. At once he knew something was wrong. Usually she would have raced to the door when she heard his truck drive up. But this time there was nothin. He walked into the bedroom to see her sitting on the bed with her laptop in her lap and tears running from her brown eyes.

"I heard about Jim. Steffi, I'm sorry." Brandon said. She didn't even look up at him. "If I had known..."

"You would have come home sooner?" She asked sarcastically. "Don't worry yourself B.K. I'm alright."

"Then why you cryin?" Brandon asked sitting down beside her. He looked at her computer screen and couldn't believe what he was seeing. A picture of one of his men was staring back. Out of all the men Steffi could have been talking to he had never even crossed his mind.

"Damn Steffi, I'm... I didn't know." he said in awe. She placed her head on his shoulder.

"No one knew. We didn't want to tell any one in case it didn't work out." Steffi said shutting the computer. "Good thing huh."

"Steff, you can't keep things like this to yourself for long. It would do more harm than good." Brandon said hugging her to him. "How did you meet him any way?"

Steffi shrugged. "Skype. I was trying to contact you or Steve to tell you about Jim. He answered and when he saw how upset I was we just started to talk. Then Tommy interrupted wanting to talk to Jeanie. Then we talked for a week after. Then... Then one day he never contacted me. I just figured Steve found out."

Brandon sighed heavily. "Well, out of all my men. You had found one of the best. I wish it could have worked."

Steffi shrugged. "It might have for a little while. But I could have never left Texas."

Brandon chuckled. "Do you ever think about the night before I left?"

Steffi smirked up at him. "I used too. Almost every day before I started seeing Jim."

Brandon smirked and leaned back so Steffi's head was now laying in his lap. He remembered that night well. Steve had past out in the living room while they were talking in the bedroom. Steffi admitted how scared she was to lose him. He leaned in to kiss her when Tommy and Rico walked in. Some times when he was over fighting the war, he wished he had just kissed her. Then other times he was glad he didn't.

"Bran? Do you ever wonder what would have happened if the war never happened?" Steffi asked sadly. But she didn't let him answer. "I was thinkin about it before you walked in. I have a feeling Steve and Mich would be married with a couple of kids by now. And you and I, well we'd be married to. To each other or to some one we couldn't stand after a few years of marital bliss."

Brandon chuckled. "I figured you'd be married to Rico. But yeah. I think of it from time to time."

Steffi sniffed. Brandon hadn't even realized she had started to cry once more. "Do you think he and I would have worked out?"

Brandon took a deep breath. He wasn't really sure who she was talking about. "I'm not sure. But I know this very smart girl who once told me that God doesn't put you through anything he doesn't think you can handle. And to remember that the things that hurt the most will only make you stronger."

Steffi smacked him and sat up. "Fucker, using my own words against me is cheating."

She laid down on the bed and Brandon laid next to her. She wrapped an arm around him and cuddled close to him. "I'm glad you came to find me Bran. You always seemed to cheer me up."

Brandon lightly placed a kiss on her forehead. "I'll always be there for you Steffi. All you have to do is call."


End file.
